5 THINGS THAT PREPARED ME FOR MY SINGAPORE JOURNEY

I am a product of parents who are overseas Filipino workers.
But I have never envisioned nor did I ever dare dream to work overseas.
I lacked confidence and didn't believe that a foreign based company would hire a non bachelor graduate whose work background consists of being a cashier in a small DIY shop
and a saleslady in a small time cellphone shop.

And then one day, I was hired by then, the biggest call center in the Philippines.
This is where my Singapore dream started.

My first call center job was with Etelecare in Makati. 2006

I've always believed that everything happens for a reason.
That God gives me experiences on things I would need in preparation for his plans for me.

1. Living in a fast paced environment.

I have never set foot in Manila until I started to work for in Makati.
Heck, I was (and still am) scared to play "patintero" in the crazy streets of the metro.
Needless to say, living in the metro was my first and most valuable lesson.
I rented a small bedroom which was wide enough to stretch my arms from side to side, in an all girl dormitory housed inside a very dilapidated building.
I shared it with one of a kind roommate, I had the top bunk bed. No cooking allowed.
 I learned how to sleep in the day with the buzzing noise of regular people going to work and the honking of jeepneys racing to get passengers.

I learned how to drink Cafe Americano, and how coffee is your bestfriend
when you've only slept for 3 hours because of that Prison Break marathon.
I learned how to eat Mcdonalds breakfast everyday
because it was the only open establishment that serves breakfast when my shift ends at 5AM.

It was definitely a 180° change of lifestyle.
Done were the days of the shy, clueless, innocent, clumsy lass from the province and the mountains,
here I was in my upgraded version.
Fearless, confident and ready to conquer the world.

Living in Metro Manila gave me survivor skills and courage to leave behind my comfort zone
and adapt to the fast paced city that is Singapore.

2. Conquering Homesickness. Living away from family.

Although Manila is just 2 hours away from where my family is based,
commuting everyday zapped all of my energy.
After a month, I had to find a bed space rental near the office,
and this means being away from my siblings for 5 days a week and coming home on weekends only. I've never been away from my siblings, and this was my 2nd lesson.

Being alone in the city meant taking extra care of myself as no one was there to help me out.
I learned how to fend for myself.
I used to rely on my big brother to help decide where to find food.
I had to do that on my own.
Did I say I hated crossing the street alone? I had to conquer my fear.
I learned how to be extra careful with my things specially when I'm out and about.
I learned how to fight homesickness by reading books or watching series marathons.

I've worked in this kind of set up for 7 years.
I was well adjusted to being independent that made the move to Singapore bearable.

Still, there's no better feeling than being with family so I always look forward to coming back home.

3. Working on my confidence and enhancing my skills.

The Call Center work environment has the biggest role in my preparation to working for Singapore.
It has introduced me to foreign work culture (particularly the west).
The companies gave world class training that enhanced my communication skills.
It allowed me to explore different ways of interacting with different types of people and cultures.
 It has amplified my confidence enough to get the courage to explore my options overseas.

4. Research. Research. Research.

I was introduced to the idea of working in Singapore by my roommate.
She has friends who worked in Singapore, who gave her first hand information
about the country, the work and the salary.
At this point, I was earning enough for me and my siblings.
But my goal was to let my OFW mother come home and be able to stop working.
I knew back then that what I was earning was not enough.

One day, I started to explore the idea of working in Singapore.
The internet became my bestfriend.
 I came across PinoySG which is a forum for Filipinos wanting to work in Singapore.
I've read and re-read the stories posted over and over.
There were great stories and there were stories that can easily discourage you.
But I kept going.
I studied Singapore's housing laws for foreigners;
read how-to transportation blogs;
reviewed network and banking preferences;
 read about their food and work culture.
 I did this for one year, in hopes that my journey would somehow be easier.
After all, knowing is half the battle. And I was right.

5. Testing the waters.

Due to unforeseen events, my husband (my bf then), had to come to Singapore first.
We were on a long distance relationship for 9 months before I could join him.
On his 4th month in Singapore, he surprised me with plane tickets to visit him.
Apart from seeing my husband, my goal was to try the lifestyle and see if I would fit in.
My husband toured me around Singapore and had me try all means of transportation and different types of local food --- those that existed only in my research.

The feeling was exceptional.
I felt I fit in perfectly and that got me excited!
 I was there for 3 days only, but that was enough to get me to muster the courage
and get myself ready for the big move!

Testing the waters was an important phase.
It gave me a concrete experience of what it was really like to live in Singapore.
The this-is-it feeling was strong enough to kick me out of my comfort zone.

On May 2011, I moved to Singapore to be with my then boyfriend, now my husband.
Singapore is indeed a beautiful place to live in
and I thank God everyday for blessing me with opportunity to work in a great country.

xoxo

~d

(This post is also found in my new travel blog: KnowWhereElse)